Blanton Pounded, Phillies Tie Pirates in 10 Innings
March 7th, 2010
Phillies starter Joe Blanton blew a 2-0 lead on Saturday getting pounded for 3 runs in the first inning, including a 2 run homer by Pittsburgh rightfielder Ryan Church. Blanton gave up 5 hits while striking out 2 through his two inning stint. Pirates starter Kevin Hart was erratic walking 4 and giving up 2 first inning Phillies runs. Down by 3-2, the Phils scored a seventh inning run to negate Blanton’s pounding as the Phillies tied the Pirates at 3-3 through ten innings.
The AP recap for Yahoo sports notes:
Blanton wasn’t surprised the Pirates made a lot of contact. He’s working on pitch placement, starting the ball over the plate and working outward.
“If I’m trying to hit corners right out of the gate, I’m way over here and over there and I have a lot more adjustments to make,” Blanton said. “I want results in the season. I’d rather have a good ERA in the season than a good ERA in spring training.”
Hart was scheduled to pitch two innings, but left the game after tossing 38 pitches in the top of the first inning. The right-hander gave up two runs on one hit and four walks.
“I didn’t really command the ball, didn’t make the adjustments,” Hart said. “I got my pitch count up and was out of there.”
Hart’s control was erratic. Many of his pitches to left-handed sluggers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley sailed high and several inches outside the strike zone.
“Those guys put together some good at-bats, considering I wasn’t locating stuff,” Hart said. “They made me work and throw a lot of pitches. It’s good to face a lineup like that right away.”
Dewayne Wise led off the game with a triple to center and scored on a wild pitch. Hart then walked the bases loaded, but the Phillies got just one run out of it when Raul Ibanez grounded into a double play.
After giving up the 3 runs in the first inning, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that Blanton noted:
“I kind of changed my grip on my sinker a bit,” said Blanton, explaining his sudden improvement after a rocky start. “I wasn’t super comfortable with the grip I was using. It was going sideways, and I want it going down. I changed it and got it going down a little better.”
The change apparently paid off as Blanton retired 5 of the last 6 hitters he faced.
Danys Baez and 4 other relievers, 3 of them going two innings each and the other 2 going an inning apiece, held the Bucs to 2 hits while walking 3 and striking 8 the rest of the way. Baez looked great replacing Blanton and only giving up a hit in two innings while striking out 2.
The Phils entertain the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Clearwater.
Left-hander J.A. Happ… makes his Grapefruit League debut. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, a key piece in the Cliff Lee trade, also will be on the mound.
In his spring training debut, Aumont was roughed up for 5 runs by Florida State U in relief of Happ.





